May 24th 2008 How To Get Published Workshop

I was pleasantly surprised by the workshop entitled How To Get Published that was given by Brian Henry at the Central Library on Saturday.


Mr. Henry has an entertaining style and his workshop was well worth the $40 cost. And while I thought I knew what it takes to get published, he filled in several gaps in my understanding and corrected a couple of misconceptions while filling us all in on the inner workings of the publishing industry.

Bottom line, I recommend that any writer who wants to be published take this workshop when he offers it again.

Of interest, note what Mr. Henry recommends to all writers: Don't spend your money on hiring an editor or proofreader.

Instead, learn how to proofread and edit well yourself. Take a college course; join a critique group; learn how to do it well, because that is really part of your job as a writer.

Then when your manuscript is perfected, spend your money on mailing it out to potential agents.

Mr. Henry also said that the secret no one knows is that publishers are constantly asking, "Where are all the good manuscripts?" He says if you can write well, it's a "seller's market." You just need persistence and the right approach.

It was a refreshing bit of optimism from someone who is on a first-name-basis with several publishers...